1850 U. S.
Federal Census for Clay County, Missouri
Description:
This database details those persons enumerated in the
1850 United States Federal Census, the Seventh Census
of the United States. In addition, the names of those
listed on the population schedule are linked to the
actual images of the 1850 Federal Census, copied from
the National Archives and Records Administration
microfilm, M432, 1,009 rolls. (If you do not
initially find the name on the page that you are
linked to, try a few pages forward or backward, as
sometimes different pages had the same page number.)
Note that at this time the entries from the slave
schedules for this census year, are not linked to
their corresponding images.
For the first time enumerators of the 1850 census
were instructed to record the names of every person
in the household. Added to this, enumerators were
presented with printed instructions, which account
for the greater degree of accuracy compared with
earlier censuses. Enumerators were asked to include
the following categories in the census: name; age as
of the census day; sex; color; birthplace;
occupation; value of real estate; whether married
within the previous year; whether deaf, dumb, blind,
or insane; whether a pauper; whether able to read or
speak English; and whether the person attended school
within the previous year. No relationships were shown
between members of a household. The categories
allowed Congress to determine persons residing in the
United States for collection of taxes and the
appropriation of seats in the House of
Representatives.
This updated release includes the records for the
following states: AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA,
KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NH, NJ, NM, NC, NY, OH,
OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, UT, VT, VA, and WI. The following
rolls of film, within this updated release, have not
yet been linked to federal census images by
Ancestry.com, and thus can not be searched in this
linked index, M432: 1, 11, 31, 56-57, 63, 74, 85,
122, 137-138, 205, 209, 214, 223-228,229, 234, 235,
238-241, 300-302, 380, 399, 412, 465, 467-468, 481,
523, 554, 615, 629, 669, 680, 692, 704, 713-714,
716-717, 722, 763, 802, 806, 848-849, 909, 927-931,
934, 961, 1000-1002, 1006-1009 ; and all the rolls
corresponding to slave schedules. They have however
been indexed and can be searched in the separate,
unlinked, U.S. Federal Census indexes at U.S. Federal
Census index. For details on the contents of the film
numbers that have not been linked yet, visit the
following N.A.R.A. web page: N.A.R.A.. The linked
images for these rolls of film will be made available
on Ancestry.com in the near future. This database is
certain to prove useful for those seeking early
American ancestors.
[NOTE: ]
Additional Information
The United States was the first country to call for a
regularly held census. The Constitution required that
a census of all "Persons...excluding Indians not
taxed" be performed to determine the collection
of taxes and the appropriation of seats in the House
of Representatives. The first nine censuses from
1790-1870 were organized under the United States
Federal Court system. Each district was assigned a
U.S. marshal who hired other marshals to administer
the census. Governors were responsible for
enumeration in territories.
The official enumeration day of the 1850 census was 1
June 1850. All questions asked were supposed to refer
to that date. By 1850, there were a total of
thirty-one states in the Union, with Florida, Texas,
Iowa, Wisconsin and California being the latest
editions. The four new territories of Oregon,
Minnesota, New Mexico and Utah were also enumerated.
There were no substantial state or district wide
losses.
Taken from Chapter 5: Research in Census Records, The
Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy by Loretto
Dennis Szucs; edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and
Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City, UT:
Ancestry Incorporated, 1997).
William Dollarhide, The Census Book: A Genealogist's
Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes,
Heritage Quest: Bountiful, UT, 2000.
